Via AMERICAblog.
Welcome to George W. Bush’s America, where heckling the president can get you fired.
A man who heckled President Bush at a political rally was fired from his job at an advertising and design company. The graphic designer said he was told he’d embarrassed and offended a client who provided tickets to the event.
“I was told that my actions reflected badly on the company and that a client was upset,” Glen Hiller of Berkeley Springs said.
Hiller was escorted from Hedgesville High School on Tuesday after shouting comments about the Iraq war and the failure to find weapons of mass destruction there. The crowd had easily drowned out Hiller with its chant: “Four more years.”
Arriving at his job with Octavo Designs in Frederick, Md., the next morning, Hiller said he was “shocked” to learn he was fired. A woman at the company who declined to give her name confirmed Hiller was axed because of his conduct at the rally.
“They see my actions as negative,” Hiller said, adding he’d do the same thing again. “There is no venue for the regular guy to ask a question. We don’t have access to people in power. And those events are completely scripted and controlled.”
Now, I know I’m likely to get at least one wingnut chuckling about freedom of speech not protecting one from the consequences of that speech, but do we really want to become the kind of country where have to think twice about criticizing or questioning our leaders because they might lose their jobs?
Here’s an idea, contact Hiller’s former employer and let them know what you think of their actions.
From AMERICAblog:
Feel free to contact Hiller’s company, Octavo Designs, about their decision:
MAILING ADDRESS
8 N. East Street, Suite 100
Everedy Square
Frederick, Maryland 21701
PHONE 301/695.8885
FAX 301/695.0770
PHONE 301/695.8885
FAX 301/695.0770
EMAIL:
info@8vodesigns.com
sue@8vodesigns.com
heather@8vodesigns.com
mark@8vodesigns.com
And an even better idea? Find out who their clients are and let them know about Octavo’s actions re: Hiller.
If you think that is bad, has anyone read on how the Bush Administration has gone about to silence anyone who might differ from the President. Here are two articles for anyone to read that will demonstate how the seek to squash any kind of dissent.
The first article was called can be read here.
The second article can be read here
This one is a difficult call for me. While I would say you should never get fired for heckling the president I would also say that if you are at an event as somebody’s guest you have a responsibility to behave in a way that is not offensive to your host.
Let’s say you invite me to a basket ball game. You are a big Lakers fan and you have tickets and invite me along. I think the Lakers suck but they are playing the Bulls, which is my favorite team. I would at least tell you I’m a Bulls fan and will be rooting for them and may even heckle the Lakers, and I would tell you when you offered the tickets.
I wouldn’t go with you and then jump up and yell “ The Lakers SUCK” unless you understood I might, and had stated you were cool with that.
If somebody offers me tickets to a Bush speech I would make it clear to them that A. I would like to go and B. I support Kerry and if I hear Bush say something I disagree with I’m going to speak up. They then have the option of withdrawing the offer.
The key here for me is he was a guest of ”a client who provided tickets to the event”
And as such should have known better. Or at minimum let the client (and his company) know that he would be uncomfortable at a Bush event because he disagrees with most if not all of Bush’s policies.
He was at the rally as a guest of a client and as a company representative. That calls for a different set of social behaviors. Me? I would have bit my tongue and kept quiet.
Had he been there on his own ticket, then firing him for heckling the president would be 100% WRONG. But as a guest of a company client? Tougher call.
ps I do NOT think the Lakers suck, I was just making a point. No nasty emails from Laker fans please.
If the Bush campaign would have even allowed him in as a known Kerry supporter, then I might fully agree with Tim Who?. But, the NY Times and other outlets have reported repeatedly that the G.O.P. is REQUIRING any attendees to Bush appearances to state that they fully support the G.O.P. and intend to vote for Bush. Mr. Hiller is right: there is no venue for the common man to challenge the president on critical issues… the G.O.P. is systematically shutting them all out.
I can partly buy Tim Who?’s argument that yes, this was a gift of a client and attendance generally requires good corporate etiquette. But, was Mr. Hiller on work time or personal time when requested to attend? Was he given the ticket as a “gift” of the client or was obligated to attend as a condition of his job? If the ticket was a “gift” of the client used in Mr. Hiller’s off hours, then I think it was DEFINITELY wrong to terminate him: he was not there on official business and if the client wanted him to keep his mouth shut, they should have laid out those provisions as a condition of him accepting the ticket. I think it’s definitely more the client’s fault in this case than Mr. Hiller’s. And I also wouldn’t have fired him: I doubt his company lost the client and Mr. Hiller could have easily been moved onto other clients. This is a case where the company also allowed its own views and not just those of its client to cloud its decision… which I think is definitely wrong and irrational.